Neolithic houses, and much more, at Stonehenge

An interesting piece in the Guardian by Maev Kennedy 'Neolithic houses built at Stonehenge - but not without modern tools' heralds the opening of the newly constructed Neolithic houses at Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England. This is part of an English Heritage experimental archaeology project: twenty tonnes of chalk, 5,000 hazel rods and three tonnes of straw used on houses based on 4,500-year-old designs.

'English Heritage has based the four oval houses and a small store room on the foundations of real houses built 4,500 years ago at the nearby settlement of Durrington Walls, where archaeologists believe the people who built the most famous prehistoric monument in the world gathered for seasonal rituals and feasting. The height of the walls and the size of the roof could be estimated from the size of the foundations, but the roof structure remains guesswork - different techniques of thatch have been used on each house.'

As an exercise in experimental archaeology, it has revealed many unknown facts about building materials and techniques. Because of deadlines for the Stonehenge Visitor Center, however, not all techniques employed were Neolithic! But inside, the walls are daubed, furnished with timber and wicker beds and shelves, clay pots and jars, and a central hearth, the houses reflect a genuine Neolithic dwelling.